The Ace of Swords
by pandoralily
Summary: Eve had a good life of daring adventures and fairytale romance - well, when she was playing her games at least. But now Eve has found herself in a real adventure, and between 'not dying' and 'really not dying' she somehow has to help save the world. All in a day's work, right? Rating will go up romance later


A/N: I know! What am I thinking! Another fanfic to add to the list of unfinished ones?! Oh, Pandora you're an idiot.

But hey, I fucking love Dragon Age and Cole so suck it.

* * *

Chapter 1

There once sun, there was once also light and warmth and happiness in my life, the world I knew so well disintegrated before my eyes as I was pulled into the strange green rift, the claws of the creature holding me crushed my ribs. I could see the single glistening tears leaving my eyes and my hair blowing beside me in slow motion. Time had distorted and I could feel and see everything in ever agonizing, pure detail.

The dagger hummed in my hand and with a last final effort, I plunged it into the creature's skull, through bone and hitting soft, fleshy brain. And then, everything went black.

When I awoke it was not to the alarm of my phone nor to the sound of cars passing by in the street. I didn't greet my housemates, and I didn't make my breakfast or start getting ready for the day. I didn't ring my mother, and I didn't even go to the bathroom.

This is because when I woke up I was surrounded by swirling green mist, the essence of a world forgotten in a terrifying hellscape of a land.

I didn't scream, for breath had left my lungs and with heavy muscles I forced myself to sit up and not panic at the sight before me.

This world was _wrong_.

Creatures lurked around and I could smell something not unpleasant but not definable. The sky was an endless green sea and the skyscraping rocks were a glistening black colour. I was upside down, I think, held onto the cliff face of a rock by something far older and fowler than I have ever felt

The green air, this strange otherworldly smog, invaded my lungs and wriggled its way into my bloodstream. It thrummed beneath my skin and pounded throughout my body, reaching and stretching, changing, and enhancing.

The creature from before lay in front of me, singed to the ground.

With a deafening crack I pulled the dagger from the creature's corpse, the lightening it let out previously crackled and burned yet it did not touch me.

I regarded it with fear in my eyes and I lightly nudged the corpse with the tip of the dagger, jumping back in fright as the carcass groaned, blood seeping from the dagger wound. Hesitantly, I let out the sigh in my lungs, trying to ignore the glowing green lines inside of my veins.

"The arrival of her birth was not the first, but this is the last. The seal is broken, she has awoken and now vengeance shall be swift. The Ace of Swords as entered."

I was never sure where I heard this dialogue, nor could I see who spoke it with such clarity but there was one identifiable truth in amidst my confusion.

I was not alone, and honestly, I think from the moment I fell into that rift I was never alone again.

* * *

For years I stalked that green hellscape, demons felled and spirits met, I searched the world between worlds for a way home. But no other rifts opened and I remained stuck between the living and the dead, here but not here, heart beating yet not aging.

It became abundantly clear to me that though I still possessed human qualities the mere thought of even calling myself 'human' was laughable.

For human, I clearly was not.

And yet I remained hopeful, even as my hunger never grew and sleep never came.

That is, until one day I saw a rift.

Shining bright and beautiful, I saw the outside world of trees and snow and before I knew it I was sprinting full force, my torn, dusty jeans not restricting my movement as several demons burst from beside me, each sharing my goal of escape.

Perhaps wherever I had found myself was not the native home of other creatures too.

With a leaping jump I burst forth from the fade, crashing onto the back of a demon and burying my daggers to the hilt into either side of its neck, the infinity sign on the back of my hand glowed a bright green. The demon fell to the ground and I held myself steady as its knees thumped loudly, followed by its body.

"Get back!" I heard a man shout as I attempted to wiggle my daggers out of the demon's body.

I grunted, "Flippin' perfect, this is!?" I struggled some more, "Kill a goddamn demon but your blades get caught! Bloody rubbish luck that!"

With one final heave, I managed to dislodge one dagger but other still remained.

"C'mon," I tried to coax it, "I'm not King Arthur, and you're gonna have to come out eventually." I said, hands on my hips as I stood on the demon's carcass.

"Don't move!" The same man from earlier shouted and I looked up at him, wiping my messy white hair away from my face.

I grinned, "People! Finally! People!" I whopped, waving manically at the man, who for some reason looked like a cosplayer with his weird clothes and pointed ears.

Just as I went to jump of the demon carcass, something whizzed past my ear, halting my process as I stood frozen, one foot in the air.

Carefully, I lowered my leg and raised my arms in the air.

I gulped, smiling crookedly, "Please don't kill me?" I asked politely, fear climbing up my throat once more.

"You can explain?" An angry woman with a lil braid and a big sword said.

I nodded, "Yeah, I fell in this weird rift-y portal thingy and I've been looking for a way out for ages."

The first man frowned, "You what?"

The party around me still had their weapons raised, and honestly after my previous experiences I was unsurprised by my lack of reaction. There were seven people in front of me, two with staves, two with what appeared to be heavy weapons, and two dextrous ones.

The man who spoke first was the seventh and he carried a great staff, white hair falling past pointed ears framing an almost angelic face with dark purple tattoos. He was very pretty.

I swallowed again, "Yeah…" I lowered my arms, looking around the scenery. It was familiar yet unfamiliar, like a motorway service station.

With wide eyes I looked at the pretty man, "Where are we?" I asked, morbid curiosity clawing at my head as fear rose once again.

"What makes you think we'd tell you anything!?" The woman with choppy blonde hair said, "You're not right, people don't just fall out of the fade!"

I nodded, "Sick fam, but that doesn't answer my question."

The pretty man frowned, "Why are you 'sick'?"

Scrunching my nose in confusion, I frowned, "It's slang, ya'know, like 'cool' or 'awesome'? Commonly found in the vocabulary of today's modern youth?"

"It's doesn't matter," A new voice popped up, the guy looked like an egg and also had pointed ears. He carried a staff too, "It is clear that the woman fell from the fade," he looked at me, "you were trapped?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I was, I got pulled in by this weird demon creature and I've been running around in there," I jammed my thumb behind me, vaguely pointing to the place where the rift had been, "ever since. Until now, 'course."

"Fascinating." Egg guy said.

I shrugged, "If you think so, it was a lil trippy, to be honest, and I didn't even take anything!" I declared, finally hopping off the corpse and landing on the ground easily.

Their weapons were instantly raised again.

I rolled my eyes, holding my hands up, "Easy! I'm not gonna kill ya, I just got lost and literally saw only a single way out so I took it!" I explained, "It's just been a while since I last saw people."

A different guy, one with a great moustache and clearly the best dressed of the group, stepped forward, "What do you mean 'a while'?"

I fingered the fraying edge of my hoody, the lose thread twisting around my finger, "As in, I can't remember when I first entered, it feels like forever yet simultaneously no time at all." I scrunched my nose, "It's _weird_."

"Solas," the pretty man said, addressing egg guy, who I guessed was Solas, "is she a danger?"

Solas walked forward, looking over my small stature and grim appearance, "Perhaps, but I believe she is in more need of help than anything else."

He turned to look at me then, "You were in the fade, a place where demons and spirits inhabit." He frowned, poking my arm, "Strange considering you are mortal."

Solas waved his hand and his palm began to glow green.

"Fuck off!" I screeched, scrambling backwards and arming myself once more.

The rest of the group readied their weapons, all trained on me as I stared in shock at Solas, his hand not dimming.

"Just say the word, boss, and the girl goes down." Said the biggest one, with horns on his head. _Are those real?_ I thought.

Solas masked his look of shock quickly, "I'm just healing you," he said, trying to placate me, "you're injured." He gestured to my right arm, where blood was coming out of a cut.

"Heal me?!" I cried, disbelief on my face, "With what?! You're hand?! That's impossible!"

Solas looked confused and as he opened his mouth to speak, the fashionable man interjected, "Oh lovely, another mage hater." He drawled.

I shot him a look, "A-a _what_?" I stuttered.

"You aren't aware of magic?" Solas questioned, gently waving his hands for me to lower my dagger, "But you were in the fade, such things aren't possible."

I grimaced, dawning realisation overcoming my face, "I'm not on Earth anymore, am I?" I whispered in horror.

The shortest man, the one who nearly shot me with his crossbow frowned, "No, pixie, you're in the Frostback Mountains, in Ferelden."

"Fer-Ferelden?" I stuttered. It sounded so familiar yet so distant, like a dream of a dream, why did I know that name?

The short man nodded, "Yeah, that's right. In Thedas."

Realisation punched me like a fucktruck in the gut then as the breath left my lungs.

Solas. Ferelden. Thedas. Dragon Age.

 _Fuck_ , I thought, _I'm in Dragon Age_.

And yet I was able to recall no details.

I giggled nervously, trying not to breakdown in front of the character – no, _people_ – I knew so much about.

"Right…I'm definitely not on Earth."

Then, I fainted.

* * *

I'm fucked. I'm fucked. I'm fucked. I'm fucked. I'm fucked.

Like, seriously.

Fucking Dragon Age! Fucking Thedas! I'm FUCKED!

Well, at least I won't have to go to work on Monday.

My thoughts were a jumbled mess as I sat in the tiny cottage allocated to myself, or rather to keep an eye on me. My own little oasis complete with the occasional spider and confused servant. Also the stray cats that slept under the bed.

"What the hell do I say to them? They're asking how I got here, which by the way I reckon is through the fade, due to the green and weird shit going on." I sighed, dropping my head next to the bored cat on the pillow.

There was a knock on the door and I instantly looked up, jumping from my seat by the cat. Rilien walked, smiling as spotted me. I'm pretty sure smiling is his eternal facial expression.

"Waddup?" I asked.

"What?"

"What's up?" I reiterated.

Rilien opened the door wider, my bags and the like in his hand, "We need to go."

I sighed, gently stroking the mewling kitty before standing. I really didn't want to go and see the advisors. Like, seriously. I'm pretty sure the Spymaster would stick me with an arrow, the Diplomat would see through every half-conceived lie, and the Commander would pick up my tampons unknowingly.

"Alright," I said, shutting the front door behind me, "lead the way."

Haven was a lot bigger than the game let on. It was pretty simple though, a similar shape, just really big and there was a community, a lot of families and jacks of all trades. Yeah, soldiers made up a large body of the people, but primarily the place was full of simple civilians trying to find shelter.

I spotted a few people I met earlier, Varric for example, and others who I'd just seen when I was walking around or running errands for the healers. I had been here for a good few days, the advisors too busy to meet with me.

Which frankly is a little wack considering _I fell out of a fucking rift_.

The Chantry in Haven was slightly imposing, but I wasn't overly intimidated. Okay, that was a lie. I was dreadfully intimated, a ball of nervous energy was rising in my stomach and already stories began to form in my head. There were several things I could do, and my mum wasn't here for council, so that left all the decision making up to me.

No pressure then.

Lie Number 1: I am merely a traveller who got lost. And fell out of the rift. Because I was lost.

That wouldn't go down well.

Lie Number 2: I was sent on a mission of the upmost importance and was ambushed. By birds.

Yeah, that wouldn't work either.

Which left me with the truth.

Truth Number 1: I managed to get sucked into a rift and just so happened to get stuck before literally sprinting towards the first source of natural daylight I could find.

None of those stories sounded particularly believable or plausible, I was wearing jeans for goodness sake, but it was all I had. I was a storyteller! I should've been able to weave the greatest of tales! But reality doesn't always translate to fantasy and I was stuck in one.

Heads turned and mouths whispered as Rilien and I ventured through the Chantry, the intimidating door to the war room looming in the distance, and I could distinctly hear the clicking of a tongue from my left.

I glanced over and saw Vivienne's familiar face taking in my clothes with curious disdain, I probably didn't look too good for their tastes.

Skinny jeans will end up as mum jeans anyway one day.

The war room was pretty small, but then again the Chantry was exactly that – a chantry, and I couldn't really expect it to be a massive castle or anything complete with an army. Despite the fact that Haven _literally_ had an army.

But yeah, Leliana's unblinking stare wasn't helping the anxiety I was feeling, nor was the Iron Bull, leaning against the wall to my left with a strange glint in his eye. Even Solas was in here, but I assumed that was because he's an expert on the fade and I basically came from the fade.

"Alright," I began, "it's a really messed up, kinda weird way in which I got here."

"You mean entered this world?" Josephine said, I smiled at her, it was by her insistence that I was sent to do errands and have partial freedom instead of basically moved into the prison cells below.

I nodded, "Yep, basically I've been wandering the fade for God knows how long and I was pulled in there by a…thing? A demon or spirit? I'm not really sure to be honest."

Leliana sighed, "So you've really no idea what's going on?" Yes, I wanted to say, but I doubt my knowledge of the future would be beneficial to my survival in anyway.

"No," I answered, sitting opposite Solas as I answered his billionth question about the fade and what happened and what I did and blah blah blah.

It was boring after an hour or so.

Solas didn't look convinced, "It's impossible, you shouldn't have been able to survive in there. Your mortal body would have given in and you'd have died."

I leaned back in my chair, "I felt different though, and I breathed in the green fumes! I can do things others can't!"

Solas nodded, "Yes and you shouldn't be able to, how do you attack again?"

I leaned forward this time, mentally preparing myself to answer this question _again_.

"I can move through time, along a string I see it in events that are _going_ to happen, only, multiple outcomes are available from the present I am in. I pick one, and then move to it." I said, fiddling with my sleeve again, "I just so happen to pick the event in which I like the outcome the most."

Solas scribbled something down, "Then why don't you do this all the time?"

I shrugged, "It's tiring, and besides, I don't like being able to manipulate the future too much. I don't want to rely on it."

"Interesting…" Solas commented, "And does it work in the opposite direction?"

I nodded, scratching the back of my neck, "Yeah, actually, if I get hurt I can jump back a couple of seconds and avoid the damage, usually. It usually only works both ways under ten seconds but I can enter that ' _state of being'_ whenever I choose."

"Noted," Solas said, "now what about age and the years being 'strange'?"

I took a deep breath, "Basically I was there for ages but it didn't feel like it, just kinda lived really until I got out, but it must have been a while because while I didn't age my hair still grew." I fiddled with the white locks, "Changed colour too, but I can't work out why."

Solas scribbled something on his parchment again, "I have an idea as to what you are."

Herald of Andraste Rilien Lavellan, the pretty elf guy from earlier, joined us, accompanied by some of his companions.

"What is she then? A demon?" He asked, smiling reassuringly at me. I liked Rilien, handsome _and_ kind.

"No," Solas answered, "I believe that Miss," he trailed off looking at me expectantly.

"Oh right!" I said, catching on, they had introduced themselves but I remained nameless, "I'm Eve."

"It appears as if Miss Eve is a Fade Wanderer." Solas finished but remained silent as everyone looked at him expectantly.

"Are you gonna explain what that is or leave us all in the dark?" I asked snarkily, really wanting to know what the hell a 'Fade Wanderer' was.

Solas nodded, rolling his eyes, "Fade Wanderers are legends, mortals created who can wander the fade as it truly is without dreaming. They are very, very rare."

My brow raised, "How rare?"

"In all my long journeys through the fade I have never encountered a Fade Wanderer before nor any spirit that knows of one. However," he said, eyes flicking to mine, "there had been whispers of a disturbance in the fade, a nameless creature slaughtering demons."

I snorted, "They attacked me first…"

Rilien frowned, "You knew of her, Solas?"

"Well, that's just perfect," Said Vivienne, literally one of the most amazing people I've ever met, "this fabled Fade Wanderer is merely a young girl."

I shrugged, picking distastefully at my hair, "Can't really argue there…"

"Hey now," Varric said, placing a hand on my knee, "is pixie really all that bad? Sounds like you're a victim of circumstance, sweetheart."

I nodded, now fiddling with the crystal on my necklace, "I am to be honest, just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"No," Solas disagreed, "this is no mere accident, you're here because you were pulled in by someone. Or something."

Rilien frowned, "So Eve was kidnapped."

"It appears that way." Solas said.

I nodded, "Great, and I wasn't even consulted. What rude kidnappers." I shook my head in mock disappointment as I crossed my arms.

Dorian, the fashionable man, laughed lightly, "Write an angry letter, that'll get their attention."

I grinned, "To what address? Thing-who-decided-I-really-needed-a-holiday-in-Thedas?"

The mage considered this, "It's a bit long, might have to write on the back."

Laughing, I pushed myself off my seat and into a stretch, yawning as I did so.

"So," I said, smiling at Rilien tiredly, "what now?"

Rilien held his chin in thought, "You're good in a fight, with that strange ability of yours, and you don't seem evil."

"Thanks." I said drily.

"How about you join us? We're working on closing the rift and stopping the demons from invading, I can't guarantee anything, but we might be able to find a solution to your problem." Rilien offered.

The angry woman, Cassandra, stomped forward, "Absolutely not!" She bellowed at Rilien, "She is dangerous! A liability!"

Varric stepped forward in my defense, "she's a kid, Seeker, I highly doubt she's going to stab you in the back."

"Varric, I'm old as balls." I snorted.

Varric grinned at me before turning has gaze back to a still fuming Cassandra, "See?"

Cassandra nodded stiffly but not before stalking up to me and glaring at my face, inching on her toes to look in my eyes, "You will not harm anyone while you're here?" She ground out from between her teeth.

I shook my head, "I will not."

"And you will not give away information or betray any of us?" She pressed on.

"I have a feeling that if I did then your sword would find it's way into my chest, where it _really_ doesn't belong." I said, smiling nervously, "'Cause I really don't want that to happen."

Cassandra backed off, "Good, then it's sorted."

Rilien clapped his hands together, "Great! So, Eve, what's your world like."

I grinned, "Bit different from yours, dear, bit different from yours."

* * *

Haven is big, way bigger than the game would have you believe. People _lived_ here, worked, and went about their daily businesses here. It was society, a breathing mechanism of hundreds of people that moved to a singular purpose.

And here I was, trying to get Sera to put her hand in a bowl of _something_.

"Ohmigod, Sera!" I said exasperatedly, "It's not gonna kill you, it's a _poultice_."

"You fuck off with that shite!" She snapped, bearing her teeth, "Who knows what that _thing_ is?!"

I grinned, "Adan does, I'm sure, I took it from him after all."

"So you confess it's _not_ a poultice?" She countered.

Shrugging, I held the bowl out to her, "All I heard was that he would be _really_ mad if someone tampered with it." I grinned mischievously, "C'mon, Sera, surely I can trust you to not touch this bowl of very important stuff, right?"

The problem Sera has is that she must do the opposite of what someone had asked her to do. So reverse psychology works super well on her.

I placed the bowl down gently on the tavern's table just as everyone's favourite heretic walked in. Rilien grinned once he caught my attention, waving me over to the tavern's door.

With one last look at Sera I bed her my farewells, "Hey, mind looking after this for me please? Ril-Man has work for me I think."

Sera snorted a giggle, " _'Ril-Man'_ , what's that?"

I grinned, "His Magical Heraldness, obviously."

I waved Sera goodbye, pretending not to notice as she swiped the bowl I left at her table, and quickly jogged after Rilien.

The snow crunched under my boots as I walked with Rilien, scratching the mark on the back of my hand. I wasn't entirely sure how far along the game I was in, other than the beginning section as Haven was still standing.

But that still left me with question, did Rilien side with the Templars or the mages? How many areas has the Inquisition scouted out yet? And was Rilien going to drag me to The Fallow Mire or could I kill him inconspicuously before he did.

Okay, maybe killing Thedas' only hope against Corypheous wasn't a good idea but I _really_ didn't want the go to The Fallow Mire.

The war room was warmer than the chantry because of the roaring fireplace and the amount of times Cassandra moved the little figurines around on the map. Seriously, she probably works up quite a sweat with how often she does it.

I greeted the advisors as Rilien leaned on the table, drawing my attention to a very particular point on the map.

"This is the conclave," Cassandra started, walking up to my right side. I was a Rilien-Eve-Cassandra sandwich. That is disgusting.

I nodded, "Right, that's where the Herald showed his awesome power?" I asked, which was needless as I already knew the answer.

"Correct," Cassandra said, "we recently gained the allegiance of the rebel mages at Redcliffe by conscripting them."

Frowning, I asked, "What do you want me for? I imagine his Amazing Heraldness doesn't just go around picking random girls up for war councils."

Rilien smiled, "I don't know about that, maybe if you ask nicely enough."

Leliana leaned forward then, bracing her hands against the table, "You can travel through time, and when confronting the mages Rilien and Dorian were sent to the future in which the Inquisition failed.

Dawning realisation fell over my face, "You what my expertise as a time traveller?"

"And as a fade wanderer." Cullen put in.

I nodded my understanding, "I get it," my eyes locked onto Rilien's, "You went forward, right? To an alternate timeline?"

"An alternate timeline?" Rilien questioned.

"Yeah," I said, "if you changed the course of the timeline you're in then _another_ gets created where you _didn't_ change anything."

Leliana frowned, "So the timeline in which we failed, that still comes to pass?"

I took a deep breath, "Kinda? Time isn't linear like everyone thinks, it's like a sphere and inside that sphere strings overlap, it's through these strings that we move through time."

"That is most disconcerting." Josephine said looking a little sickly.

Grinning, I replied, "It's not too bad, it means that we can change our timeline to make the inquisiton successful. Look at what happened at Redcliffe as a warning instead of a fact."

"So you think you could change time if thing don't go our way?" Rilien asked.

I shrugged, "If it's within my limits, yeah I could totally do that. Why?"

The heavens opened up then and the sun shone upon Rilien's handsome face. I looked at the other advisors and they all had the same look on their faces, whatever news they were going to deliver, I wasn't going to like it.

"Because you're coming with me to seal the hole in the sky, and if that doesn't work then you take me back in time until it does." Rilien explained.

Well, at least I wasn't being sent to The Fallow Mire.

* * *

Hey guys, please review and tell me what you think? I'm just makign this up as i go


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